The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-08
COMING ARMY CHANGES.
How Swain Came to be Appointed
Judge Advocate General.
From the NetV York San,

extraordinary situation existing in regard
to coming changes Never in the history
OF our army has any President in time of
peace had so many important military APP
polntmentS to make as the next President
will have. The officers of the army are not
allowed on the surface to interfere
or indulge in politics in any form,
but at the same time the army influence in
pohtlcal affairs and in appointments is
frequently potential The winter prom
ISIS to see some very fine social
work done by the army set, with
an eye to future contingencies. During
the next administration three general
officers and every general staff officer, eX-
cept two, will retire under the law retiring
officers "a years of age, and the President
elected next year will appoint their sue
cessors. The general officers who will be
thus retired and to whom successors will be
appointed are: Maj. Gen. Terry, Brig. Gen.
Stanley, and Brig. Cen Gibbon, The gen
eral staff officers who will be retired under
the 64-year law are Brig, Gen. Holabird,
Quartermaster General; Brig. Gen. Benet,
Chief of Ordnance; Brig Gen.
Rochester, Paymsster General; Brig.
Gen.. McFeely, Commissary General of
Subsistence; Brig. Gen. Moore, Surgeon
General, and last but not least Brig. Gen.
Drum, Adjutant General. The only general
Judge Advocate General Swain, now serv-
ing on half pay by sentence Of court mar
tlal, and Gen. Greedy, Chief of the Signal
Service Office. Under the present admins
tration two general officers will be retired
next year, viz, Gen. Baird, Inspector Gen
eral, and Gen. Duane, Chief of Engineers.
Thus it happens that within five years all
the heads of the staff departments except
two are changed.
NOxyy would Ia
in army circles if the rule of succession was
always adhered to, and there would be a
complete understanding as to the general
advances all along the line but unfortu-
nately this rule has been many times broken
or ignored, and so the army people are
plunged into uncertainty as to what the
next President may do Under Grants adj
ministration there were two notable instan-
ceS of ignoring the law of succession and
regular promotion. Men were taken up
from low rank and passed over the heads
of old, famous and battle-scarred officers, to
places of power and prominence, and men
found themselves serving under the orders of
officers who had been subalterns under
them, and who were far behind them in the
line of promotion. Much discomfort and
bitterness has thus been occasioned in the
army, and disc pine seriously impaired by
undeserved promotions out of the regular
family influence. 1t is an axiom in army
organizations that when political or family
enters in, discipline and efficiency go out
Under Grant, West Pointer, Commander-in-
Chief, President as he was, there were two
instances to the point, which were looked
upon as fragrant in the army. These were
the promotions of McFeely and Benet, who
were raised from the rank of Major clear
over the heads of all the officers above them,
and naHp obiafC of tbair. Re will
the rank of Brigadier General.
But still more notable instance occurred
under the Hayes administration in the pro-
motion of Swain from next to the bottom
of the list in regular succession to the head
of his department as Judge Advocate Gen
eral. Gen. Swain had been for years fol-
lower and believer in Mr.. Garfield He was
Garfeld's devoted friend and admirer He
was of money making disposition, close
and calculating, while Garfield could never
make a cent in business, and Swain took
his money and invested it and managed it
for him. He knew how much money Gar
field had in bank when the latter had no
more idea of it than boy. Swain bought
the house Garfield used to live in in
Washington, and installed the Garfield
family there, rent free. He so man.
aged that no man could have been
placed under heavier obligations, finan-
Garfield was under to him. He believed,
just as much as he believed that the sun
would rise of a morning, that Garfield
would one time be the President, and that
when that occurred he would claim his re-
ward. He often said so, and his implicit
and unwavering confidence strengthened
the faith of many others in Gartield's deS-
tiny. After Garfields election Swain went
to Mentor and took charge of matters abb
cnlUfalu anH than bp dam 11naA RECOGNITION
of his services. Garfield, after his manner
put his arm around Swaim's neck aud said:
my dear boy, owe as much to you as
ever one man owed to another. You have
but to name your desire and it shall be
granted"
81 want to be appointed Judge Advocate
General" said Swain
Garfield was staggered. He demonstrated
against the demand, saying it would ruin
him with the army to make such an ap-
pointment, that it was subversive of dis
cipline, aud would discourage and democrat
ize the army. But Swain was memorable.
Garfield sent to Gen. Charles Foster to help
him out of the difficulty, and Foster, after
a talk with Swain and finding him obdu-
rate, hit upon plan which he laid before
Garfield and which they agreed to work
upon. The plan was to have Hayes, who
was Just going out, make the appointment
the incoming Ohioan. Foster went to
Washington, and after struggle got Hayes
to agree to it through a dicker that Gar
field should appoint Baxter, and
so the appointment was made and the re-
sponsibility taken from Garfield in part,
though the story to some extent leaked out,
and in the end Garfield had to take the re-
sponsibility. Swain was appointed Briga-
dier-General and Judge Advocated General
in Feb. IL, 1881, and accepted on Feb. %.
Thus Hayes was made cats paw by Gar
field through the sly manoauvring of Char
ley Foster After Garfield's death the feel
ing of outrage and indignation in the army
against Swain took shape in what was, to a
great extent, a conspiracy to overthrow
him, and to this effort President Arthur
lent his active aid and sup
port. as will be remembered. Nothing
really culpable was clearly proved against
Swain except an inordinate and indiscreet
desire to make money, and the effort to GUST
him was a partial failure, but it succeeded
in suspending him from office for a term
which would take him by its expiration be-
yond the legal year for retirement for SER
vice, thus practically putting him out Of
the army. It is the remembrance of these
things, in connection with the great number
of coming changes. that is worrying the
army people very much just now, and it
does not soothe them any when they remem-
Der that Mr. Cleveland has followed the
example of Grant and Hayes in the promo
ton of Gen. Greedy.